Languages are a medium for the transfer of information - economic information in particular. The creation of a European common market requires that partners participating in economic activity have access to economic information originating in languages other than their own, and, conversely, that they be able to communicate their own information to people who speak only another language. This is the problem of information transfer between languages, or of translation.

In particular, the economic impact of multilingualism is doubled for european firms:

as producers of goods and services, they encounter additional obstacles when they try to export, which translates into loss of time and money and, consequently, reduced competitiveness.

as consumers of goods and services, they run into problems keeping abreast of the most recent technological developments and obtaining the most up-to-date equipment; which puts them behind technologically and, once again, reduces competitiveness.

On the other hand, if Europe could become the only large economic and industrial bloc in the world to find a solution to these problems, it would gain considerable economic advantages. Here is a unique opportunity for Europe to develop invaluable experience in management of multilingualism, experience which could be put to economic use (directly, by selling consulting services based on the solutions developed; and indirectly by more easily overcoming other linguistic barriers in relations with outside economic partners: USSR, China, the Arab world, Latin America, etc). Such experience might find analogous use in social settings, even in unilingual environments (applying similar principles to the integration of disabled people, etc).

The development of a healthy and profitable language industry will ensure the long term supremacy of Europe in the world.